Deepak Mishra 

Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business

“Curious, strive to become better every-day, commitment to minority education and passion for artificial intelligence.”

Hometown: Allahabad, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I wrestled for UMBC, a Division 1 NCWA Wrestling program.

Growing up watching WWE, I always dreamt of wrestling in real life. At UMBC, I trained with various wrestlers for the first two years in college, which led me to earn the opportunity to be a walk-on athlete. This amazing experience taught me that determination and hard work can enable you to accomplish something you’d never thought you could.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Maryland, Baltimore County; B.A. in Mathematics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Capgemini Invent (Digital innovation, strategy, consulting and transformation company), Senior Strategy Consultant; New York, NY

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In addition to my full-time client engagements at Capgemini Invent, I built an AI-based resume screening app (scans keywords from resumes based on hiring teams’ criteria) to help our internal recruiting teams. This effort gained recognition from the C-suite and kicked-off a proof of concept to free up time for consultants who spent hours looking for relevant keywords in resumes.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? All the classmates I have met share a common set of characteristics: focused, humble, curious, genuine, and collaborative.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I chose Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, most importantly, for its cross-pollinated curriculum (business, policy, and diplomacy). Of course, its recent recognition from Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s recruiter survey further bolstered my decision (#1 in Better Trained Grads, #3 in Innovative and Creative Grads, #3 in Entrepreneurship, and #4 in Brand Value).

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to being part of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, focusing on FinTech, data and AI, as well as being exposed to new ideas and sharpening my soft and hard skills.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? “Tell me about yourself…”

The broad nature of this question was challenging for me initially. In my opinion, its answer continues to evolve and directly challenges your emotional intelligence. To craft my answer, I needed to reflect on my journey, both professionally and personally, and pinpoint the key highlights that best reflect me. For instance, it was important to express my experience moving from India to the US at the age of 16 and adapting to a new way of living.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Coming from consulting and seeking to transition to venture capital, an MBA would help me learn the finance skills and expand my network to startups, entrepreneurs, and investors who would be important to springboard my career into VC.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? MBA/MA Wharton and Lauder Institute

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I prioritized innovation, network, brand name, and location as these factors are the most impactful on my future career. I learned about McDonough’s culture through meeting with alumni and second-year students and hearing them share their amazing experiences.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I’ve been able to make a difference in leveraging my personal experiences to coach young professionals and students who are hoping to enter consulting but are hampered by a lack of self-confidence, self-awareness, or soft or hard skills. Since 2016, I mentored undergraduates, MBA students, and career-switchers with diverse backgrounds and cultures in resume writing, case-interview preparation, skills coaching, and introductions to my network. When I was looking to get into consulting, I also struggled with this process. Being able to relate to this experience motivated me to help. I overcame these challenges by networking, attending meetup groups and seminars, watching motivational videos, and learning to think differently. My struggle further inspired me to develop a mentoring app called Jungle, which will help more people transform their professional lives.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Business development executive or Venture Capitalist